Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta marked International Day of Yoga on Sunday by performing yogasanas in the morning, with Sandhu lauding women’s leadership in the movement.
The chief minister participated in a special yoga programme along with Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior officers of the Delhi government at Neeli Jheel in the Asola Bhati Wildlife Sanctuary.
Sandhu kick-started the day at the Yamuna Sports Complex, celebrating this year’s theme, ‘Yoga for Healthy Ageing’. Under the theme ‘One Delhi, One Yoga’, the Delhi government organised simultaneous yoga programmes across all 70 Assembly constituencies of the national capital this year.
Thousands of citizens, students, youth, women and senior citizens enthusiastically participated in the events. The programmes conveyed a message of healthy living and collective public participation through yoga across different parts of the city, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Chief Minister Gupta said yoga is a priceless heritage of Indian culture and a matter of pride for the entire nation. She noted that in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the observance of International Day of Yoga at the United Nations, a proposal that received unprecedented support from the global community.
“Now, people in almost every country of the world are making yoga a part of their lives,” she said. Gupta added that yoga is not merely a form of physical exercise but a complete way of life that brings balance between the body, mind and soul while shaping one’s consciousness and lifestyle.
After the yoga programme, Gupta visited the Viksit Bharat Nursery located within the sanctuary premises and reviewed efforts to promote native plant species, conserve biodiversity and expand green cover.
In a post on X, LG Sandhu said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yoga, which is a “profound manifestation” of Bharat’s ancient civilisational ethos of ‘Sarve Santu Niramaya’, has evolved into a global movement.
“…I joined fellow participants in the yoga session. It was particularly heartening to witness women taking a leading role in this movement, while also seeing growing participation from senior citizens, for whom yoga serves as a powerful means to lead active, dignified and healthy lives,” Sandhu said.
Several Delhi government ministers and senior BJP leaders, including state president Harsh Malhotra, also took part in yoga sessions. Former Delhi BJP president and Gandhi Smriti vice-chairman Vijay Goel led people in performing yoga against the backdrop of the historic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.
